Precipice
by Leather Sky
Summary: The course of true love never did run smooth. Akihiko/Mitsuru, I hope T is still okay since the final chapter is rather descriptive. "Humor" for chapter 3 and the fact that they're both so clueless.
1. Step One

"Why not?" his tone wasn't threatening, or even impatient. It was matter-of-fact, and she appreciated that. She tried her best to give him an equally matter-of-fact answer.

"Because when I look at you, I remember everything. You're the only one of my friends left from before. And our past, you must admit, is not something that is pleasant to focus on…"

He sat down. Again, nothing threatening in it…they were in a public space, a neutral zone, although at this hour the third floor lounge was almost always deserted. Nevertheless it made her uneasy, and she hurried to finish her line of thought. "…you're the only one who knows everything about me. Wouldn't it be better, for both of us, if we looked for people that have nothing to do with any of it?" She turned away a little.

After a moment or two he spoke again, firmly. "Just because I make you remember…doesn't mean I can't also make you forget. I can do both." He pushed the chair back a little and the sound made her jump. When she turned back he was next to her. "Besides, you won't always want to forget. Sometimes you'll have to talk about it to someone or go crazy. I can be either one…whatever you need at the time."

Almost to herself she said, "How do I know that's true?"

"Let me prove it to you."

Immediately her guard was back up. "_How_?"

He was treading on very dangerous ground, he realized. The claim he had made so confidently, that he could help her forget everything, was a huge one. If he couldn't back it up, he had no chance. That called for something big and impressive…but all he had on his side was the conviction that he was right. He didn't have any talent or experience when it came to girls…and even if he had, nothing that applied to other people would ever apply to _her_.

She was clearly waiting for something. Hesitantly, he in moved closer…she seemed to stiffen a little and lose some of her certainty, but she didn't back down. His face was so close to hers that he could feel the heat that she gave off. He couldn't feel her breath, though; she must be holding it. He realized that neither of them had closed their eyes. He heard himself say, "…you really look like you're going to let me do it."

Mitsuru turned as red as her hair and pulled back angrily, slapping him. She didn't know if she was so annoyed because he had been about to kiss her…or because he had stopped. For Akihiko it was the push he needed though and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back against him. She gasped a little and closed her fingers around one of his sleeves to steady herself, telling herself she wasn't cooperating. He had been determined to put his entire argument into that kiss, but once it happened there was no chance of acting or thinking consciously. Their eyes were shut now, and there was no hearing anything because their blood was too loud.

It ended a moment later, awkwardly and self-consciously. Neither of them really knew who had stopped first. Mitsuru's hand slid down Akihiko's arm for a moment before she seemed aware of it again. She looked down, and he wondered what had just happened, how he had done---and what her response would be.

She tried to think of something appropriate to say. He had been disrespectful and much too sudden. She couldn't possibly encourage behavior like that. Her mouth set and she looked up at him, harsh words hovering on her lips. He was already expecting them, she knew. Oh yes, he knew he had done something wrong.

"I'll…consider it."

Turning quickly so that Akihiko couldn't see the shock on her features that her own words had given her, she hurried off to her room. He heard the door slam only a couple of seconds later. His knees felt a little strange and he put a hand out blindly, saved from losing his balance by the soda machine. After a moment or two the shapes and colors he was dully staring at resolved themselves into the pattern of the carpet. He concluded numbly that whatever else had just happened, it was time to go to bed.


	2. Darkness

They were sitting on his bed, talking. Or rather, he was mostly sitting up, his back to the wall, while she reclined against him. Her side and one arm rested against his chest; her neck was against one of his shoulders so that her mouth was very close to his ear. They didn't have to talk very loudly, and that suited them. Their conversation was sporadic and it dealt with day-to-day things. They were content to leave it like that. He didn't turn his face to kiss her, although it would have been easy. One arm was loosely draped across her waist and the other stayed at his side.

The conversation had stopped again. Neither of them felt like restarting it. They were too interested in their other, silent conversation: the separate cadence of breathing, the balanced warmth of their two bodies, and the occasional shifting of limbs. They let the time go until it got dim enough that it was time to turn on the lights. Relaxation gave way to tension as the two of them seemed to mutually realize that they were alone together in a darkening room. The sunlight had acted as their chaperone, keeping everything between them innocent. The darkness obscured things and blurred boundaries. It changed everything.

Both of them moved to get up at the same time, bumping their heads together. Mitsuru chuckled and Akihiko looked sheepish. Then she sat back a little away from him, hands on her knees primly. "It's late…I should really go study."

"Yeah…I should too."

Neither of them moved.

Mitsuru gave a short, lady-like cough. "…are you going to turn on the light?"

"Right…"

Still neither of them moved.

Finally, Mitsuru made an irritated sound in her throat and got up to turn on the desk lamp. A hand touched her arm and she turned around. It was much harder to see now than it had been a minute or two ago. It was difficult to know his expression, but his eyes looked very dark. She drew in a breath and then leaned up a little. This was different in the dark too. It seemed very long. She was the one who finally drew back, looking down thoughtfully, one hand still against his chest.

"What is it?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "Nothing…well, have a good night."

"All right…you too." He walked her to the door and belatedly turned on the light. She cast a cautious glance down the hallway before leaving. He watched her for a moment and then shut the door.

When Mitsuru got back to her room she had a determined expression on her face.


	3. Protection

It was difficult (and embarrassing) to get them and when she finally managed it, she couldn't bring herself to do anything further for several more days. If she wasn't something of a public figure it wouldn't have been such a problem, but as things were she had been forced to sneak around to obtain what she wanted. She was pretty sure that he hadn't thought things out at all, and she wasn't about to ask him. No, waiting for him to make the first move wouldn't do any good.

When she had finally decided to broach the subject with him there didn't seem to be a good way to do that, either, so she just threw the box down on his desk and looked up at him pointedly. Akihiko blinked and picked it up. Then, in a thoroughly characteristic manner he opened it and studied the instructions. After she was fairly sure he'd had time to reread them several times, he set the box down and cleared his throat.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to choose ribbed?"

Mitsuru was exasperated. "Do you know what I went through to get those?"

"I'm sorry. I was just thinking of…well, you." He was clearly trying to keep his voice steady.

Mitsuru relented a little. "…it was all they had."

Akihiko nodded and then drummed his fingers against the back of the desk chair distractedly. What in God's name was he supposed to do now? "Well…anyway, thank you. I'm sorry you had to do that, I can always get them n…next time." His voice caught just a little as he realized what he was actually saying.

Mitsuru sat down on the bed. "That would be appreciated."

"Did you…" he took a breath and started again, "…want to…?"

"_Now?_" She flushed. "We're going to Tartarus tonight! I hardly think--"

He cut in quickly. "Right, sorry."

She got up nervously. "Well then, that was all I wanted to…to talk about. So, I'll be going."

"Right," he said heavily.

She nodded jerkily and fled. Akihiko rubbed his face for a moment and then went straight to Junpei's room and pounded on the door.

"You want _what_?" Junpei paused from munching his Carls for two seconds to stare at Akihiko, wide-eyed.

"Shut up, you heard what I said the first time."

"Um, yeah, okay Senpai…" Junpei went over to his closet and dug around until he came out with his very prized, very secret collection. "What kind do you want?"

Akihiko blinked. "…excuse me?"

"Nevermind." Junpei found some decidedly mainstream ones and handed them to him. Akihiko picked them up gingerly, frowning. He was rather grateful at that moment to be wearing gloves.

Junpei looked at him and then decided there weren't very many good ways to handle a social situation like this, so his best course of action was to go back to playing video games. He accordingly unpaused his game and did his best to become engrossed in it while Akihiko sat down on his bed and flipped through the first magazine.

After a few minutes though, curiosity forced Junpei to pause it again and turn around. Akihiko was studying the pages intently with a contemplative scowl on his face. Junpei was more bemused than ever. "You look like you're studying for a test!"

"…is this really how they do it?" Akihiko didn't look very convinced.

"Um…more or less, kinda."

"I see." More intent reading. Junpei itched to ask him about ten different questions and held himself back with difficulty.

Finally Akihiko put them down with an air of having no further use for them. He looked far from satisfied, but at least he seemed a little less agitated than when he had burst into Junpei's room and demanded to see his porn collection. "Thanks," he muttered, and left without any further explanation. Junpei shook his head and put them away again. In a world where people changed into coffins for one hour every night, some things could still surprise him apparently.


	4. Caffeine

They went to Tartarus that night, and the next…and it looked as if Minato were leaning towards going again the night after that. Then that afternoon Mitsuru announced firmly that she and Akihiko wouldn't be able to go because of something they had to finish up for class, and most of the 2nd year students heaved an inward sigh of relief. They knew Minato was worried about a lot of requests he'd gotten from someone named "Elizabeth," but they were getting a little worn out by that point. Akihiko on the other hand had looked surprised and a little confused when Mitsuru mentioned their "assignment," but he quickly bent his attention back to repairing his gloves after she fixed him with a certain glare.

The evening passed quietly. Fuuka surfed around on the web while Junpei dragged Minato out to take Koromaru for a walk. Yukari flipped through fashion magazines and tried unsuccessfully to explain certain articles about pop idols to Aigis. Ken went up to catch the latest episode of Phoenix Featherman R. And at half past eight, Mitsuru got up to go to her room, presumably to finish up on her project. Yukari turned to Akihiko and poked his arm, teasing him that he probably should get going too if he wanted to be done in time for bed. She was surprised at the way he stiffened up and she even thought she saw his cheeks redden momentarily. But he just said, "You're right," and headed up the stairs, leaving her to wonder if she had done something wrong.

Mitsuru was just wondering if she hadn't been obvious enough when the knock came at her door. She took a breath and then went over to let him in. As she opened the door she felt a momentary stab of conscience for lying to the younger students like that, but they had needed a break anyway. Then he was in the room with her and she didn't have room for other thoughts. She hesitated for a moment and then walked over to the bed as he mechanically locked the door. She was wondering what to say, or if there was anything _to_ say, when he came and sat down next to her. They looked at each other for a moment and then he self-consciously took the condoms out of his pocket and put them on the bedside table. (He remembered they were supposed to be kept at room temperature.) As she watched him her hands clenched in her lap a little.

He turned back to her and started to say something, but shut his mouth a moment later and put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her forward a little to kiss her. She slid closer to him and put a hand on his, but then drew it back. "…take those silly things off."

"Oh…right." He looked down and took his gloves off. Mitsuru swallowed and started to undo his collar. He'd been concerned about messing her room up, but when he noticed that she just tossed his tie to the floor he let the gloves fall next to it. Then he leaned back against the pillows and pulled her with him, although he felt like the bed was going to swallow him. What the hell was her mattress made of, anyway? Definitely too soft…then she was kissing him again and soft wasn't such a bad thing. He realized that he was probably supposed to be undoing her buttons about now, and he actually managed it even though they were on the wrong side. But when he slid his hands up her sides under the shirt he encountered unfamiliar territory and it defeated him.

Mitsuru realized after a moment that Akihiko was _not_ going to master bra clasps anytime soon. She sighed and yanked his shirt up over his face in one sudden movement, startling him. When he had gotten untangled and thrown it off, the bra was already on the floor. He stared until she reddened and turned her face away. "Is that all you're going to do…just look?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry…you're just so…"

That made her blush harder. She took one of his hands and put it on her, still not able to look back at him just yet. A little guiltily, he sat up slightly and ran his hands over her. She shivered a little at their roughness in contrast to her own smooth skin, but the difference added something to it. He must have been thinking along the same lines, because a moment later he wrapped his arms around her and sat up higher, pressing against her. She closed her eyes and let her fingertips sink into his shoulders as he slid her hair out of the way and kissed her neck.

A moment later though she noticed something and started. He looked up at her inquiringly; her jaw was set firmly with new determination. Grimly, she started to attack his belt. Embarrassed, he helped her with it and after a moment or two of struggling with fastenings both of them sat back with the shocked realization that there was nothing between them now. All of the clothes lay on the floor.

Mitsuru brushed her hair back from her ear--it was a nervous gesture he was familiar with--and then reached down with slightly shaking hands to touch him. He made an involuntary sound, which wrecked her composure further, and then had to quickly reassure her that it was fine to touch him there. He put a hand on her side and watched her, finding her curiosity endearing and trying not to breathe too heavily. Her face bent closer and he felt her hair slide across his chest and down his stomach; then she got bolder. His hand slid down to the bed and clutched mindlessly at the sheets under them, and he gave up trying to control his breathing.

She sat up after awhile, brushing self-consciously at some strands of her hair that had gotten tangled around her mouth, and said, "Do you think you should---"

He took a deep breath, then another one. "…_yeah_. Probably." She watched him take one out of the package and put it on, and something about the way he did it made her realize that he had practiced. That made her smile in spite of the tension.

When he took her shoulder again and gently laid her back on the bed, she was scared, even though she had told herself she wouldn't be. She tried to brace herself but then relaxed confusedly when he just kissed her forehead and slid his hand down to her thigh. Of course…he wanted to know, too. She bit her lip and tried not to move around too much as he looked at her and touched her carefully, but it was embarrassing. He noticed that she seemed to react a certain way when he rubbed one particular spot, so he experimented with that for awhile. When he looked at her for confirmation her eyes were closed and she was panting softly. He bent to her then and didn't come back up again until it was over. It hadn't been anything like Junpei's stupid comics, but he had still managed to figure it out from the way she had dug her nails into his hair and shaken until he'd had to hold her thighs down. After she had subsided he propped himself up, settling between her legs, and looked down at her. She opened her eyes to look at him and he felt an overpowering sense of possessiveness. She sensed it and her lips parted but she didn't speak. Instead she clutched at one of his arms and shifted under him, drawing her legs up.

Even though they were both determined, it was difficult at first. She hadn't been prepared for how much it was going to hurt, and he hated knowing that he was hurting her. But she made him keep going, and he respected her judgment. It became worth it the moment she relaxed under him suddenly and then groaned and locked her legs behind his back, and he could tell it didn't hurt anymore. After that there was only her hair glowing like blood against the pillow, and the soft burn of the scratches on his sides, and the creaking of the bed that formed the background to their hushed voices.

--//--//--//--//--//--//--//--

"What do you want?"

"Cielo Mist, please."

He nodded and got his wallet. She watched him from the bed as he pulled on his undershirt and absent-mindedly buttoned it most of the way, getting the whole thing one button off. The way he was going out, without even bothering to put on socks, made her smile, but then he was only going to the end of the hall. She decided not to tell him how his hair looked at the moment, either. Hers was probably a fright, too.

He looked back at her in a way that told her he clearly _wasn't_ thinking about how messed up her hair was. "I'll be right back, then."

"See that you are." She said it playfully, but he took it seriously, nodding and hurrying off. She stretched luxuriously and sighed.

Akihiko cursed and punched the soda machine, but that still didn't make it cooperate. No help for it, he would have to go down to the second floor. He marched down the stairs and did his best to ignore Junpei, who was playing a hand-held game at the table. Junpei, however, did not fail to notice the misbuttoned shirt, the hair standing on end, or most importantly the fact that Akihiko had come from the third floor. He watched as Akihiko purchased _two_ sodas.

Akihiko felt eyes on him and turned irritably to confront him. "Well…what?"

Junpei was looking at him with undisguised awe. "Senpai has become a man…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. …what kind of soda would you like?"

"Mad Bull."

Akihiko got one and then brought it over to Junpei. When Junpei reached for it though, he held it out of reach. "Not one word to _any_one."

Junpei held up one hand. "Scout's honor."

"Hmph." Akihiko surrendered the can and headed back up the stairs.

Junpei looked after him and then reflected sadly that at this rate, _Ken_ was going to get laid before he was.


End file.
